Mark Owen
Mark Anthony Patrick Owen (born 27 January 1972), is an English singer and songwriter. He is a member of pop-group Take That. As a solo artist, Owen had sold over 500,000 records worldwide and 45 million with Take That. Early life Owen was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England. He lived in a small council house with his mother Mary, his father Keith, brother Daniel and sister Tracey in Oldham. His father was a decorator, later getting a job at a police station. His mother was a supervisor in a bakery in Oldham. Owen was educated at Holy Rosary Primary and St Augustine’s Catholic Schools, both in Oldham. He had little interest in music and played briefly for Chadderton F.C., in addition to having trials at Manchester United and Rochdale. Prior to auditioning for Take That, he worked at Barclays in Failsworth. Tours Take That Tours Main article: Take That Tours Solo Tours: Take That Main article: ''Take That'' Solo career 1996–1997: Green Man After Take That split, Owen became the first of the band's ex-members to release a solo record. He reached number three in the UK Singles Chart with his debut single, "Child". His second single, "Clementine", also went to number three. In 1996 his album Green Man was released, charting at a number 33. After another single, "I Am What I Am", charted at number 29, Owen was dropped by BMG Records in late 1997. 2002–2003: Celebrity Big Brother and In Your Own Time Owen won the second series of Celebrity Big Brother in November 2002 with 77% of the public vote against television presenter Les Dennis. Owen broke down in tears, overwhelmed by the fans' support. After being invited to perform on stage with Robbie Williams at Knebworth, he returned to the spotlight and signed a deal with Island/Universal Records. In August 2003, Owen returned to the charts with the Top 5 hit, "Four Minute Warning", which remained in the Top 40 for eight weeks. His second album, In Your Own Time, was released in November 2003, entering the charts at number 59. After a second single, "Alone Without You", charted at number 26, Owen was dropped by Island/Universal Records. 2004–2006: How the Mighty Fall In April 2004 he established his own record company, Sedna Records. One report around 2004 even alleged that Owen was looking for a day job, but he simply said "Doing it properly isn't cheap. These are my indulgences. I don't have a Ferrari, I have two albums." Mark released his first single "Makin' Out" which charted at No. 30 on the UK Singles Chart, making it his highest charted single released in an independent label. He released his third solo album, How the Mighty Fall on 18 April 2005, which was recorded at Sunset Studios, Los Angeles in 2004. It reached No. 56 in Germany. According to Mark, he said that this is more "his" album than the last couple because he has had full control over every aspect of the record and it is a true representation of where he is at in his life right now. On the strength of this release, he was picked up by Caroline Elleray (Coldplay, Keane), resulting in him signing his publishing deal to BMG Music Publishing. Mark released his second single "Believe in the Boogie", charting at No. 57 in the UK charts, making it his lowest charting single at that time. Although it didn't chart well, his second single was added to the European soundtrack of the American film Mr. and Mrs. Smith starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. In February 2006 he released "Hail Mary" as a single from the album. 2012–2013: The Art of Doing Nothing In March 2012, according to a report by The Sun Mark was planning to relaunch his solo career. A source said: "Mark has already made serious headway. He has put together new material in the studio with top writers and is planning more sessions over the next few months. All the lads are behind him. Success in his own right and his own writing material have always been a massive motivation, so he's a happy man." NME announced in October 2012 that Owen had finished recording the album and planned to tour the following spring. In March 2013, further details of the album emerged, including the album title, The Art of Doing Nothing. The album was then mixed in New York at the Electric Lady Studios by Michael Brauer, Charlie Russell, Ben Mark and Jamie Norton. He confirmed the album would feature a collaboration with singer-songwriter Ren Harvieu, and production from Alt-J producer Charlie Russell. A source said: "Mark is really excited about the album - he sees it more as a collaborative work than a solo album, something he made with a collection of his friends. He's worked with some really interesting people on it including Ren Harvieu and Charlie Russell, the producer who has worked with Alt-J, as well as some brilliant illustrators, photographers and film makers. People will be surprised by the results - it's not what fans will expect." The album was to be released on 10 June 2013. On 1 May 2013, Owen uploaded new photographs and videos to his official website, including the deluxe album artwork, which depicts Mark in a white room, scribbling on the wall, whilst wearing a dapper hat. A tagline to accompany the artwork reads: "Every idea has a starting place. Nothing begins in an empty space." The two videos consist of a montage video, picturing the photo shoot that shot the album cover, and the second, which is a short interview with Owen, in which he discusses the album's contents and cover. Following the announcement of his fourth studio album, Owen also confirmed that he would tour the UK and Germany throughout June. Take That records featuring Owen on Lead Vocals * "Babe" * "Believe" * "The Day After Tomorrow" * "The Day The Work Is Done" * "Do It All For Love" * "Everlasting" * "Hello" * "Hold On" * "How Can It Be?" * "Hold Up A Light" * "Into The Wild" * "Julie" * "Kidz" * "Lovelife" * "Love Love" * "Shine" * "SOS" * "Stay Together" (B side track) * "Throwing Stones" (B side track) * "Up All Night" * "We All Fall Down" (B side track) * "What You Believe In" * "What Do You Want From Me?" * "Wonderful World" * "Bird In Your Hand" * "Superstar" * "River" * "Up" Owen has also featured vocals on "Never Forget", "The Garden", "Said It All", "Rocket Ship", "I Like It", "Hey Boy", "Man", "Aliens" and "These Days", amongst others. Personal life He is married to actress Emma Ferguson. They have a son and two daughters. He is a Patron for the charity Beyond Autism. In March 2010, in the midst of recording for Progress, Owen publicly admitted to having multiple affairs, one of which lasted from late 2004 until September 2009, and an alcohol problem. Six months later, he checked into a private clinic for rehabilitation related to his drinking. In June 2012, it was revealed that along with Take That band-mates Howard Donald and Gary Barlow, Mark Owen had invested £26 million in music industry investment schemes. The news attracted controversy when it was understood that the schemes could serve as tax shelters for high-net-worth people. Lawyers responded to the claims, stating the band members 'paid significant tax, and that they believed the schemes were not for tax avoidance purposes but were legitimate commercial enterprises.' In 2014, Mark Owen was announced as an Ambassador for Amber Run on Channel 4's 'Launched'. Owen also participated in both Soccer Aid 2012 and 2014. Tattoos Main article: Mark Owen/Tattoos Discography Main article: Discography - Mark Owen See also: Discography - Take That Spotify Playlists * Mark's Hot Summer Playlist References Category:Members Category:Take That Category:Mark Owen Category:Pages Category:People Category:Males Category:Artists Category:Take That Members